Dry kiln



April 26, 1932. I LEONA-RD 1,855,401

DRY KILN N N N H r1 m 1 N T/WWw M m ATTORNEY April 26, 1932.

T. T. LEONARD DRY KILN 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 19, 1930 INVENTOR ATTQRNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 7 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODORE T. LEONARD, OF WINLOCK, WASHINGTON DRY KILN Application filed April 19, 1930. Serial No. 445,714.

My invention is primarily intended for cycle. Artificial means are provided for the use as a dry kiln for the drying of struccirculation of the air and for heating the tural members, as handles, that have been air in the final compartment of the tunnel. heretofore turned but that have not been The object of my invention is to provide dried nor surface finished. an eflicient dry kiln for the drying of struc- 65 It is the general custom in the manufactural members during the manufacturing turing of handles to turn, or partially finish process. 7 the same, to a rough finish while the same A further object of my invention consists are in a wet, or partially dried condition, is providing a tunnel through which air, in

10 because there is less efiort required in the varying degrees of temperature, may be cirturning, and the material from which the culated. By providing means for forcing handles are to be made may be more easily the drying air intimately about each of the reduced while in an undried condition. articles to be dried within the tunnel, the

In the drying of handles and handle stock time for completing the drying is a greatly and in the dehydrating of the materials from reduced.

which the same are to be made, a large Still further objects of my invention conamount of heat is required. If the heated sists in providing a dry kiln wherein the air, for the drying purpose, is maintained maximum amount of the heat may be utilized in a closed cycle, the air soon becomes so for drying purposes. V

v20 thoroughly saturated with moisture that the Still further objects of my invention condrying process cannot be carried on to comsists in providing means whereby the humidpletion. It is necessary to exhaust the air ity within the drying tunnel may be maininto the atmosphere. When this is done the tained at the desired amount.

. heat units contained therein become a total A still further object of my invention con- "25 l sists in placing a scale at the entrance and By'my new and'improved drying appitdischarge end of the drying tunnel in order ratus and the method of accomplishing the that the amount of moisture remaining in same, I provide a relatively tight drying the elements being dehydrated may be defitunnel. Cars carrying the turned handles nitely known before the car or the material are placed upon tracks disposed longitudiis removed from the drying tunnel. Each nally of the drying tunnel. Each car encar is weighed as the same passes over the gages the side, top and bottom Wall of the scale. The car leaving the tunnel is also tunnel in order that the drying air may be placed upon a scale before being discharged forced through and around the handles withfrom the tunnel to thereby predetermine the out providing any escapement channels actal measurement of the moisture content through which the heated air may flow unof each car of material that has been eliminterrupted. A sufficient number of cars inated and the proper time to remove the car are placed within the tunnel to completely from the tunnel. saturate the drying air at which point the WVith these and incidental objects in view,

34.0 air is withdrawn from the tunnel and the the invention consists in certain novel fea- 9 heat contained therein is extracted and the tures of construction and combination of warmed air thus obtained is readmitted into parts, the essential elements of which are the entrance end of the tunnel and used-for set forth in the appended claim, and a predrying purposes. By this means the tunnel ferred form of embodiment of which is .45 is divlded into a plurality of compartments hereinafter shown with reference to the and through which the drying air may be drawings which accompany and form a part circulated in a closed cycle, until the, dew of this specification. point is reached, at which time theair is, In the drawings: 7 or may be, exhausted to the atmosphere and Fig. 1 is atop, plan view of the assembled 50 a fresh supply be admitted into a closed device.

is o Fig. 2 is a sectional, side view of the assembled device.

Fig. 8 is a sectional, end view of the assembled device, taken on line 33 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. I is a fragmentary, sectional, side view of the device.

Fig. is a horizontal section showing the flexible member on the frame taken on line 5-5 Of 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

My device is primarily intended for the dehydrating, or kiln drying of structural members which are adapted for being placed, or loaded into cars and transferred through a drying tunnel upon the cars, means being provided for the forcing of the drying medium longitudinally of the cars and longitudinally through the mass of structural members that are to be kiln dried.

In my new and improved method, I divide the drying tunnel into a plurality of chambers each of which is adapted for having the drying air circulated therethrough by power means.

In preferred embodiment I show my drying tunnel as illustrated in Fig. 1 as being composed of two sections 1 and 2 with a railway track 3 running longitudinally of the drying tunnel. The top 4. of the rail members forming the track are substantially flush with the lower surface 5 of the dry kiln. A movable hand manipulative diphragm 6 is disposed between the tunnel sections 1 and 2, thesame being adapted for entirely separating one of the sections from the other. A battery of steam pipes 7 are disposed within a steam chest Sand air for drying is forced throughthe battery of steam coils and is heated .to the desired intensity. Cars are adapted for being moved longitudinally of the tunnel and for being moved upon the tracks disposed longitudinally thereof. Each of'the cars are made of a structural frame comprised of a base 9, side walls 10 and 11, and a top 12 and the structural'members to be dried, as turned handles 13, are placed longitudinally of the car and longitudinally of the drying tunnel through which the same are to be transported. Axles 14: are disposed within suitable bearings provided at the base of the car members with flanged wheels 15 and 16 being disposed upon the axles and of a suitable gauge to rest upon the rails comprising the track. The inside walls of the drying kiln are preferably made "smooth and of uniform alignment to produce a cross sectional dimension that is the same. A flexible member 17 surrounds the frame and is made to engage the side and top Walls of the dry kiln tunnel. An apron 18 downwardly extends from the base of the car and is made to engage the bottom of the dry kiln. In the sizes of the cars in general use for this dried.

purpose and where broom and mop handles are being kiln dried, the stack placed within the car will shrink a number of inches. Since it is desirable that the heated air be forced entirely through the mass disposed upon the car and longitudinally of the mass, I suspend a flexible shield 19 from the cross rail 20 of the car and let the same rest upon the top 21 of the pile of structural members to be kiln As the shrinkage occurs in the drying process the flexible members follow the top of the pile and therefore maintains a relatively air tight contact between the top of the pile and the cross bar of the car and prevents the free flowing of the heated air through the tunnel. An outlet 22 is placed through the wall of the tunnel and air is drawn therethrough into the pipe 23. A fan 24 is disposed within the pipe line for sucking the air through the pipe. The fan forces the air in a closed cycle past the steam coils and through the drying tunnel 25. When it is desired to trap out the air being circulated within the tunnel for any reason, the same may be accomplished by the placing of a trap 26 within the line.

I-Ieretofore the heated air became moisture laden before the total heat content of the air had been absorbed in the drying operation. In my new and improved device I divide my tunnel into a plurality of compartments, the same being separated by a diaphragm 6. The pipe 23 is swelled at its tunnel end. I run a plurality of pipes 27 through the enlarged end. The pipes 27 are relatively thinwalled to facilitate the extracting of the heat from the air passing through the swelled portion of the pipe 23. This air is then circulated through the remaining compartment of the dry kiln in which cars loaded with ma terials are being progressed. This air may be circulated through the remaining portion of the kiln in a closed cycle by being passed through the pipe 28. The induction is caused by any suitable means as by an induction fan 29. If, for any reason, it is found desirable to dissipate any part of the air within the closed cycle, the same may be trapped out through a by-pass 30.

I have found it desirable to weigh the cars at the entrance end of the dry kiln and predetermine the amount of gross weight of the material being placed upon the cars. I do this by placing a scale 31 in the line of travel of the cars. This enables me to know the gross weight of the material placed upon the car at the entrance to the dry kiln. I place a second scale 3 at the discharge end of the dry kiln and over which each of the cars pass. When the dehydration has reached the de-' sired amount, the car is then removed from the dry kiln.

Understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein shown and described, as it is susceptible of embodiment in Various forms, all coming within the scope of the claim which follows.

What I claim is:

A device for drying handles comprising a tunnelway, a plurality of cars having handles disposed therein disposed within tunnelway, an apron downwardly extending from the bottom of each car, a flexible member disposed upon each side and top of each of the cars adapted to contact with the sides and top of the tunnelway, a flexible shield downward- 1y extending from the ceiling of each of the cars adapted to maintain a steady flow of heat through the handles disposed in the cars, and a heating chamber disposed below and at one end of the tunnelway.

THEODORE T. LEONARD. 

